Bottom-hole sampler



Dec. 2, 1958 w. G. TEUBNER BOTTOM-HOLE SAMPLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 3, 1954 kw V 5 m D w M m Q l O B W H E. 4 7 5/ 2// r M fig a A 5 m N ATTORNEY Dec. 2, 1958 w. G. TEUBNER 2,

BOTTOM-HOLE SAMPLER Filed Aug. 3, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FI'gJ 7 VASE INVENTOR. WILBUR G. TEUBNER ATTORNEY United States Patent BOTTOM-HOLE SAMPLER Wilbur G. Teubner, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Sun Oil Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 3, 1954, Serial No. 447,57

3 Claims. (Cl. 166-165) This invention relates to improvements in a sampling device for fluids; more particularly the invention relates to improvements in a device for securing samples of liquids in difierent strata of a Well.

The form of sampler for which the improvement provided here is particularly designed is disclosed and claimed in Patent No. 2,686,566, issued to William E. Barnes, August 17, 1954. Thatsampler provided a valve arrangement insuring retention of the sample regardless of temperature or other conditions existing during the removal of the device from the tubing. Further, the structure shown there insures retention of the sample under the conditions as they existed in the well at the strata at which it was received for sufiicient length of time to permit the sample transfer at aproper testing oint.

p When the sampler, with its enclosed sample, is delivered to the testing point where the true characteristics of the fluid as it exists in the reservoir are to be determined, special procedures are required. This involves especially designed equipment for transferring the Well samples as secured by the sampler free of contamination with the atmosphere. After the sample is extracted from the sampler, using this special equipment and procedures, it is frequently discovered that water samples have been taken instead of oilsarnplesi It is an object of this invention to provide a device which when combined with the sampler of reference will facilitate the sample removal by'insuring a tight seal within the sampler, and further will enable the determination of the type of sample taken at the well site to be satisfactory for further test by releasing a portion of the sample without necessity of using special equipment to completely drain the sampler.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent by-reference-to the following specification and drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the upper end portion of the device showing detailsthereof.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional viewin continuation of Figure 1 and of the lowerend portion of the device showing details thereof.

Figure 3 is a view'showingdetails of elements positioned exteriorly of the lower portion of the device.

Figure 4 is a view taken on line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a view taken. on line 5.-5 of Figure 3.

In general, the device disclosed and claimedin Patent No. 2,686,566, and with which my improvements have been combined, comprises an elongate housing having upper and lower valves. Each of these valves includes a valve seat and a cooperating valve plug. Between the valves an elongate chamber is positioned to receive the fluid sample. Below the lower valve, the elongate housing terminates in a fluid inlet section, and above the upper valveis a fluid outlet'section. The valves provide axial passageways, which effect communication between theinlet outletsections, and permit continuous flow of fluid through the sample chamber when the valves 2,862 ,5 6 l en e De .,2, 1. 5.8

2 are open. The plugs of the upper and lower valves are connected .by a rod passing through the sample chamber. Thus they aresimultaneously reciprocated to the closed or open position permitting or stopping the flow of fluid through the sample chamber. Resilient seal rings are provided on each of the valve'plug s to provide an effective seal with theaxial passageways of the valves. The passageways in which the valve plugs reciprocate are of substantial depth permitting valve plugmovement without breaking the seal of the sample chamber once established. A valve actuating shaft extends through the inlet section of the elongate housing and is arranged to move the valve plugs to -the open or clo'sed position. On this shaft, exteriorly of the housing, a fiexibleactuator is mounted to frictionally contact the tubing wall and be flexed upwardly or downwardly in accordance with the movement of the device through the tubing. In response to this movement, the valves are opened or closed With this sampler, thus generally described, are combined additional valve means to facilitate initial sample test and subsequent removal. The valve plugs of the upper and'lower valves are drilled to tap the sample chamber in the closed valve position. High compression valves, referred to as auxilitary valves to distinguish from the plug valves of the improved device, are fitted to the valve plugs within the elongate housing above and below the above described plug valves, and adapted to reciprocate with the valve plugs. These additional'valves are especially adapted for testing and sample removal, as will be better understood after reading the following detailed description with reference to the figures of-the drawing.

Figures 1, 2 and'3 taken together show the composite sample device generally described above and referred to,-in part, as having-been disclosed in the application of reference. The presentlyconsidered device includes an elongate housing divided into operating sections, separated by plugvalves, and externally extending operating elements.

'In Figures 1 and 2, 11 indicates a sample chamber which is formed by a tubular member 12 havingscreww threadedly secured at its upper end a coupling 13 and in its lower endanother coupling 14. The coupling'13 is in turnscrew-threaded to an upper cylinder 15 which has at its upper end a cap 16 arranged-to receive a wire line for lowering the device into thewell tubing. The coupling .14 receives a lower cylinder 17 having an aperture 18 at its lower end for the reception of an actuate ingshaft 19, the function of which will later be described. The couplings 13 and .14are provided with axial pas.- sageways 20 and 21 respectively while the upper and lower cylinders 15 and 17 are apertured at 22 and 23 respectively for permitting fluid to flow through the device. For example when the device is lowered into a well anyliquid encountered willenter cylinder 17, which is the inlet section ofthe device, pass through coupling 14, the sample chamber lland out through cylinder 15, which is the outlet section of the device. The couplings 13 and 14 are arranged to provide valve seats and to re ceive valve plugswhich are in open position during passage of the device into Well tubing and in closed position when the. device is withdrawn in order: to retain a sample of fluid within the sample chamber. v

al e plu 2 in a va v ste wand through passageway 20 andaterminates in a screw.- threaded end portion 26 for the reception of the upper end of a connecting rod 27.positio ned withinthe sample chamber 11 and which has its lower end secured to a valve plug 28. The valve plug 28 .is positioned within the sample chamber andjhas ,a valve stem 29 which extends through the axial passageway 21 of the coupling 14 and terminates in a screw-threaded end portion 30,

shaft 19 to move relative thereto. lower end of the inlet section 17, shaft 19 is provided positioned within the inlet section 17. The valve plug 28 1s screw-threaded to receive the lower end of the connecting rod 27 and the lower end of its valve stem 29 lslnterconnected with the actuating shaft 19 through auxiliary valve 90, later described. As shown in Figure 3, the actuating rod 19 extends through the aperture 18 in the inlet section 17 and is provided with an actuator 32 which preferably is of rubber or some suitable material which may be flexed when in frictional contact with thennner wall of the well tubing.- The flexible actuator 32 is mounted in a stufling nut 34 in-order to permit the Directly below the with an upper stop fixed thereto by means of a set screw 36, and at the lower end, shaft 19 is provided with a lower stop 37 secured to the shaft by set screw 38. Since the valve stem portion 29 of valve plug 28 is disposed in close fitting relation with the passageway 21, aplurality of additional openings 39 shown clearly in Figure 4'are provided for the passage of fluid from the inlet section 17 into the sample chamber 11. The axial passageway 20 in coupling 13 terminates in a reduced portion which forms a cylindrical valve seat for upper valve plug 24 and the valve plug is provided with an annular sealing ring 51 preferably formed of rubber or other flexible material. The axial passageway in coupling 14 terminates at its upper end in an enlarged portion 52 providing a cylindrical valve seat for the lower valve plug 28 which is also provided with an annular flexible sealing ring indicated at 53. The aperture 18 and axial passageway 21 function as guides to maintain the valve plugs 24 and 28 aligned axially of the housing.

In Figure 5 is shown a plan view of the valve rod actuator 32 which as indicated is preferably provided with a plurality of lateral fingers 55. The actuator is constructed of material which is capable of being flexed so that as the device is lowered into the well tubing, it will be flexed downwardly when in frictional contact with the tubing, and the valve shaft 19 will move downwardly through the stuffing nut 34 until the upper stop 35 is reached, and when the device is pulled outwardly of the tubing, the actuator 32 will be flexed upwardly, and the actuating shaft 19 will move through the stuffing nut 34 until the lower stop 37 is reached.

Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, the improvement of the present invention is detailed as added or auxiliary valves and modified construction of the valve stems and plugs of the existing structure. Valve plug 24 of Figure l is turned down and threaded at to receive a glandand-nut high pressure fitting 62. The pressure fitting 62 is a commercially available item and will be readily recognized by those versed in the art. A hole 64 is drilled through the plug 24 to a point below the sealing ring 51 where it is brought to the plug surface.

The auxiliary valve generally noted as 66 is divided into a valve body 68 and a valve stem 70. The valve body 68 in addition to being tapped to engage the fitting 62 and receive the stem 70 is apertured at 72 below the ground seat 74 and is of such dimension as to slide freely in the outlet section without binding. The stem 70 is threaded externally at 76 to fit tightly into the body 68, forcing the ground portion of the stem 78 into the seat 74 in the closed position. Internally threaded at 80, the stem 70 is prepared for connection with apparatus used to empty the sample chamber of the device. Finally this valve stem 70 of the auxiliary valve is grooved to hold the sealing ring 82, and is apertured longitudinally as at 84 for operating purposes.

A similar auxiliary valve 90, divided into a valve body 92 and a valve stem 94, forms the valve means on the lower end of the valve stem 29. As the lower end 30 of the valve stem 29 is threaded, it is only necessary to fasten the gland-and-nut high pressure fitting 96 in place to receive the auxiliary valve body 92. This valve 90.

duplicates auxiliary valve 66 above described in all its parts. The body 92 is tapped to fasten to the fitting 96 and to receive the valve stem 94. Also the body is apertured at 98 to meet the longitudinal aperture 100 drilled v through the valve stem 29 to exit above the seal rings 53 on that stem. A ground sea 102 within the body 92 is positioned to receive a like ground surface 104 on the engaging end of the auxiliary valve stem 94. This stem is similarly threaded and tapped, as described for valve stem 70, and apertured at 106. In addition a seal ring 108 also embraces the stem to cooperate therewith in operating. The actuating rod 19 is screwed into the tapped portion 110 of the stem 94 which has been tightly secured in the valve body by means of threaded section .112.

From the description of the device so far, it will be noted that the valve plugs 24 and 28, and auxiliary valves 66 and 90, are in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, which is the condition existing when the device is lowered into the well tubing, and the flexible fingers 55 of the valve actuator 32 turn upwardly causing the valve actuating shaft 19 to move upwardly until the upper stop 35 engages the bottom of cylinder 17 being held there because of this action of the actuator 32. At this time the couplings 13 and 14 move downwardly as part of the device while all the elements connected to actuating shaft 19 are moved upwardly relative to these couplings 13 and 14 and the valve plugs 24 and 28 are unseated. During this downward movement of the device into the well, any fluid contacted will, therefore, pass into the inlet section 17, passageways 39 in coupling 14, the sample chamber 11, passageway 20 in coupling 13, and exit through the aperture in the outlet section 15. Thus the sample chamber is continuously purged during downward travel and, upon reaching the depth from which a sample is desired, will contain fluids representative of the well fluids at that depth. Upward pull on the'drag line attached to cap 16 will reverse the movement of the device moving the tubular members and connecting couplings in an upwardly direction. Flexible actuator 32, during the downward movement, has been in frictional engagement with the enclosing tubing, urged by the weight of the device as it is suspended by the drag line, transmitted through the upper stop 35 to the stufiing nut 34. On reversal of the direction of movement, shaft 19, together with the connected, cooperating elements, remains fixed while the tubular and coupling elements move upwardly relative thereto. Contact of the couplings with enlarged elements connected to shaft 19 lifts the shaft through stufling nut 34 until lower stop 37 is brought into lifting engagement therewith. Flexible actuator 32, still in frictional engagement with the tubing, the flexible lateral fingers 55 curved upwardly by the descending movement, is now reversed, the fingers curving downwardly, still in frictional engagement with the tubing. Shaft 19 is then restrained and the upward movement thereof stopped. The body of the device comprising the tubular members and couplings continues to move upwardly passing the relatively fixed valve plugs positioned by the restrained shaft 19. The plug valves 24 and 28 with the attached auxiliary valves 66 and 90 are moved downwardly by this movement of the rod and shaft until the valve plugs 24 and 28 enter the cylindrical valve seats 50 and 52 respectively to seal the sample chamber and maintain liquid therewithin. Auxiliary valves 66 and 90 being closed by the valve stems having been firmly bedded against the valve bodies, have reciprocated freely with the movement of the valve actuator shaft 19. These auxiliary valves 66 and 90 are dimensionally selected so that they are freely slidable when positioned as shown, the fluid being free to circulatethrough the valves and sampling chamber. At this time the sample chamber 11 will contain a true sample from the reservoir which has been encountered.

The lower valve plug 28 is of greater cross-sectional area than the upper valve plug 24 and, for example, may be provided with a shoulder 56 so that as long as the pressure within the sample chamber is greater than the external pressure on the device, the sample chamber will be maintained closed, and completely seal the sample within the chamber.

It will be understood, of course, that-the fingers 55 of the actuator 32 will extend laterally a sufficient distance and be of suflicient rigidity to make certain that it will be frictionally held by the tubing wall in order that it will contact the stops 35 and 37 when the shaft 19 is moved with respect thereto. Stop 35 is fastened to shaft 19 by set screw 36 allowing cylinder 17 suflicient longitudinal movement relative to the shaft to clear apertures 23 in the downward movement. Fluid samples are thus allowed free movement into and through cylinder 17..

The particular arrangement of actuating shaft and actuator shown in Figure 3 is provided in order that the actuator 32 may be knocked loose in case it becomes hung up in the tubing by raising the device a distance insufiicient to cause the valves to close and then dropping it against the actuator. The device is operated in the manner of a jar, that is, by raising the device to its upper limit of motion until the lower stop 37 contacts the actuator 32 and dropping it until the upper stop 35 contacts the actuator 32, a series of impacts are produced which may be repeated until the actuator becomes movable with respect to the tubing.

The cylindrical valve seats 50 and 52 are of particular importance in the present invention since with this arrangement the valve plugs 24 and 28 may move within the cylindrical seats during removal of the device from the tubing and still maintain an efiective seal. This provision is necessary since it is apparent that the connecting rod 27 will vary in length over a small range due to the great temperature diflerence existing between the surface and the bottom of the well tubing. Also, the actuating shaft will elongate slightly as the device is drawn from the well tubing due to its being subjected to an increasing tensile force which is required to maintain the upper valve in the seated position. The valve sealing rings 51 and 53 respectively, when the valve plugs are in seated position, will Wipe the surfaces of the cylindrical seats free of any solid particles such as sand, rust or the like and thus provide a clean surface on which to establish an efiective seal. In actual construction of the device the valve plugs 24 and 28 are so arranged relative to the valve seats 50 and 52 that the seal rings, when the valves are in closed position, will be positioned about midway within the valve seats in order to allow for the contraction and expansion of the connecting rod 27 and still maintain a proper seal.

The sample chamber 11 now being closed and sealed, the auxiliary valves 66 and 90 remaining in the closed position as originally set at the beginning of the sampling operation, the sampler is withdrawn from the well bore. With the sampler held in the vertical position and the upper cylinder 15 and lower cylinder 17 removed, the lower auxiliary valve 90 is opened slightly by rotating the stem 94 in the opening direction relative to the body 92. If water is present in the sample it will be immediately detected. The sample can then be emptied and a new sample taken immediately by reassembling the device and repeating the sampling operation.

If no water is present, the slight amount of venting in this testing procedure will not injure the sample. Then the sample chamber 11 with plug and auxiliary valves in place but with the rest of the device stripped therefrom is sent to the test laboratory and the sample removed with proper attention paid to all the affecting characteristics enclosed in the sampler and the effect of atmosphere and other gases present. The auxiliary valves 66 and 90 facilitate this transfer of the sample and remove all possibility of contamination.

The actuating rod 19 having been removed, flexible tubing, preferably of stainless steel, is connected in threaded portion 110 of the stem 94 of auxiliary valve 90 and in the threaded portion of the stem 70 of auxiliary valve 66. The stems are then loosened in the valve bodies. Mercury, under pressure, is pumped into the bottom auxiliary valve, urging the sample out through the top into a receiving flask or other vessel. After the sample is removed the sampler is cleaned, the auxiliary valves tightened, and the device is ready for reassembly with top and bottom chambers 15 and 17 and other elements to take another sample.

- What is. claimed is:

1. A device adapted to be lowered into Well tubing for obtaining a fluid sample from fluid within a well comprising an elongate housing, a fluid sample receiving chamber in said housing apertured at each end for the longitudinal passage of fluid therethrough, valve plugs having longitudinal apertures therethrough adapted to communicate between the interior and exterior of the sample receiving chamber, said valve plugs connected to each other by a rod passing through the sample receiving end apertures to simultaneously open and close the end apertures in said chamber in response to vertical movement of the housing, valve plug operating means extending from said connected valve plugs into frictional engagement with the well tubing and auxiliary valve means mounted on each of the valve plugs in operating communication with the longitudinal apertures therein to control the flow of sample liquid from the sample receiving chamber through the apertures in the valve plugs.

2. The device defined in claim 1 further characterized by said auxiliary valve means including a separate valve body adapted to threadedly engage each of said valve plugs and adapted to receive sample fluid from the sample chamber through a connecting aperture aligned with the aperture in the cooperating valve plug and an auxiliary valve stem longitudinally movable in said valve body into sealing engagement with the connecting aperture, said auxiliary valve stem being longitudinally apertured to transmit the fluid sample from the cooperating valve plug when the auxiliary valve stem is in the unsealed position.

3. A device adapted to be lowered into well tubing for obtaining a fluid sample from a fluid reservoir within a well comprising an elongate housing having an upper fluid outlet section, a lower fluid inlet section and a sample receiving chamber between the sections, said chamber being apertured at top and bottom to communicate with said sections; valve seats in the apertures at the top. and bottom of the sample receiving chamber, valve plugs positioned to operably engage said valve seats being longitudinally apertured therethrough for communication with the interior of the sample chamber, a rod connecting the valve plugs through the sample chamber for simultaneous operation thereof; separate valve means connected to each of the valve plugs externally of the sample receiving chamber controlling the removal of the sample from the receiving chamber through the apertures in said valve plugs when in the closed position relative to the sample receiving chamber and valve plug operating means engaging the simultaneously operable valve plugs extending through the housing into frictional engagement with the well tubing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,857,940 Chouinard et al. May 10, 1932 2,147,983 Lindsly Feb. 21, 1939 2,618,416 Thorpe Nov. 18, 1952 2,686,566 Barnes Aug. 17, 1954 

